


Art Deco

by Fionnalina



Category: The Long Walk - Richard Bachman
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24208063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fionnalina/pseuds/Fionnalina
Summary: Their paintings were neatly organized, horders of kids gazing with open mouths at them, but McVries found that looking at Stebbins’s profile was far more interesting for him.
Relationships: Peter McVries/Stebbins
Comments: 8
Kudos: 4





	Art Deco

McVries didn't know how this had begun, but he wasn't complaining, that's for sure.

McVries didn't know why he and Stebbins had begun to do this, he looked around him, the smell of the fresh oil and drying paint, all around them, dozens of discharged paintings and scribbles sitting around the room.

McVries looked at the ocean landscape in front of him, he could almost taste the salt of the sea, he had never been at. 

He looked behind him, Stebbins was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his fair head next to the easels’s feet, an old rugged down sketchbook, resting on his lap. He looked so focused. 

“What are you drawing, this time, Stebbins?” 

“A bird” Stebbins didn't part his eyes from the sketchbook. 

“Which one?” McVries had gotten used to the short answers, and the lack of explanations, he knew he had more fun bringing it out of Stebbins than he would do otherwise. 

“A bird” He smiled, a mischievous glint on it “That I saw on the train”

“A bird in the train, nothing else?” McVries held his godette, passing his brush through it, turning back to his canvas.

“The bird was inside the train” Stebbins left his head fall back, his hair dangling off, sticking to his forehead and his face, his lips were so chapped. 

“Why, was there a bird inside the train today?” McVries chuckled.

“A little boy opened up the window even though the train driver said no to.”

“And why do you know that?”

“I saw him do it.”

“And you said nothing?”

“Maybe” He grabbed the pencil again “The bird got in, some women began screaming about it, the train driver came to see what the commotion was all about, the bird stung him in the eye, he cried afterwards but he was still trying to act like he didn't, how stupid.”

“What an epic tale” Stebbins laughed, showing his full teeth just a little. McVries supposed that should look creepy but everything was beginning to look nice to him again, like those painting of stabbed men. 

He heard the pencil touch ground, it rolled around and hit his leg, the metal parts were cold, Stebbins did that whenever he was done, then it was up to him to search for the pencils again. 

McVries put the brush back down “Are you done?”

Stebbins turned around to him, he grabbed the sketchbook with both hands, white teeth showing through, he raised the sketchbook, a childish, shadowy-looking drawing of a bird in the middle, the graffito was mounded over on the white creamy paper. 

“With everything and epic illustrations” McVries finished, he looked down with fondness at the drawing, the whole world could be so beautiful.

There was beauty on smuggled pencil traces, birds, and creepy smiles, McVries had known that his whole life but drawing like this, every now and then in the afternoon, he realized it time again time and time again.

Stebbins laughed, and hid the sketchbook in his lap again.

* * *

“Hurry we can't have The President and The Vice President of the club being late always” Garraty said, backpack strap hanging off one of his shoulders, standing next to the classroom door.

“I'm ready. Tell Stebbins” McVries said, looking at Stebbins awkwardly stuffing notebooks, and way too thick books into his worn out backpack. 

“Pete is The President of the club, and you are The Vice President, why are you hurrying me?”

“Keep complaining, and we kick you off the club” McVries said. 

“Shut it” Stebbins slid the backpack up his shoulders “Let's get going” He said walking out the door.

“Your backpack is open” Said Garraty.

“I know.”

“I'm gonna close it” Garraty said, he walked behind him, and slipped down the zipper.

They walked down the hallways to the club room, McVries slid the white door open. They entered, Stebbins immediately went to the back. 

“Why are The Vice President and The President the ones that are always late?” Barkovich said, looking up from his watercolours painting. 

Easels and double tables, the smell of coffee and open windows, the rest of the boys were starting to look up, pencils and brushes still on their hands. 

It was The Art Club.

McVries greeted it with a smile.

“First of all Barkovich is not me who’s late is this two” McVries said pointing with his head to Garraty and Stebbins “And second: Activities of the day, I need all of you to finish your work this evening so we can hang them up and show them at the club's entrance tomorrow, as The Director instructed us.”

Parker groaned, his painting was a mix of reds and oranges, Abraham patted his back. 

“Yeah. Sure, dude” Pearson said. 

McVries nodded, he finished what he had to say on the front of the classroom, and walked to the back of the room with Garraty. They sat besides Stebbins. 

Garraty brought out his bloc, opened it on the middle paged, Garraty always did that, didn't like following the linear and never went to the very back, he took off his rucksack, he was right about to finish. 

“You guys aren't going to finish yours?” Abraham asked McVries and Stebbins who were simply observing Garraty make his.

“We already did” McVries answered for the both of them.

“No fair! You guys do everything in your house” Olson said, looking up from the painting he had deemed abstract. 

“ _The Unfairness of Working out of Hour_ an essay by Doctor Hank Olson” McVries said putting on a news reporter voice.

“You really do all club activities together, though” Baker said without looking up from his canvas, already adding the last touches to his painting.

“We work better as a team” McVries said. Stebbins looked to the side, covering his mouth with his hand “Aww you are smiling, you agree.”

“Shut it, Pete.” 

“You are smiling” McVries repeated, swinging one finger in front of Stebbins’s face.

“Pete...” Stebbins avoided his eyes.

“I don't even remember when you guys began doing that” Garraty said, calling back their attention.

“I do” McVries said.

“Are we having a movie flashback now?” Stebbins forced the smile out of his face, and took off his hand.

* * *

“I can't believe, I left you to convince me of doing this” Stebbins said, as Garaty tugged at his sweater's sleeve.

“I can't believe you left me convince you either” Garraty answered, he slid open the white door of the clubroom “Hey everybody! Stebbins. He will be joining us in the art club from now on.”

The rest of the guys looked up from their canvas and sketchbooks, Stebbins felt the burning gazes in him. 

“I just want you to know, I hate you Ray” He whispered to Garraty.

“Sorry” Garraty whispered back, he tugged at his sleeve again, dragging him to the back of the room to a double table, behind them hanging from the ceiling and resting on the floor were beautifully finished oil landscapes, flowers, rotting fruits, and blown up buildings.

“Want to sit here?” Garraty said.

“Yeah” Stebbins sat on the left, his feet up on the bars of the chair, Garraty got on the right.

Garraty reached a hand into his backpack, pulling out a sketchbook and a rucksack, he skimmed it over to the last page and pulled it out “Here, we can share this time.”

“This time?”

“This. Time.” He opened up his rucksack and pulled out a pencil, Stebbins stared at the pencil for a second too long as if he could vaporize it with his mind if he tried long enough, the pencil was still there so he had to take it. 

“What do I do now?”

“Just do whatever comes to mind, if it sucks, we can call it abstract.”

“Aren’t clubs supposed to have designated activities, Ray?”

Garraty looked awkwardly to the side “Well, yeah but as you can see, we don't really have Our Club President to give out activities right now so...”

“So you brought me to a presidentless club to do nothing.”

“You are harsh.”

Stebbins rolled his eyes into his skull “Where is your president? I thought you two were attached by the hip.”

“Me and Pete don't actually spend, every single of second of our lives together, you know?”

“No, actually with the way you spend every single second of your lives together, it is hard to distinguish” Stebbins sighed, playing with the bright red gum of the pencil “Why didn't you ask him to come?”

“You think I haven't?” Garraty swung the pencil in the air, Stebbins stared harder at him. 

“As he usually does everything you ask for, immediately? Yes, it is easy to assume.”

“That's not true”

“Ray, one time he drove you all the way to his prior state, by himself, in one day, because you said that you wanted to see his old movie stand, but didn't have anybody to go with.”

Garraty stared at him with wide-open eyes “Okay. Fine. He does a lot of stuff for me, but not everything” Garraty moved his head back and forth, as if the words he was trying to say were too confusing “I have- I have asked but…. he's not really himself right now.”

Stebbins tilted his head “What do you mean?”

“He’s… sad, right now" Garratry said softly, whispering "He's just not up to it, I asked him a lot but, I don't think it’s right to push him to do anything right now” Garraty looked down at the white paper, he looked defeated all of a sudden.

Stebbins placed his hand on Garraty’s back, feeling the muscle through the layers of clothing, he looked to the side “I see.”

Garraty looked at him, Stebbins could feel his eyes on the side of his face, Gararty shook his head rapidly, as if trying to shake the bad thoughts off, he straightened his back a little, Stebbins hand slipping down. 

“Stebbins, can you please stay, and makeup like we are doing something, so The Director doesn't close The Club down, on us?”

Stebbins looked down at the paper, then back up at Garraty’s eyes. 

“Fine.”

Garraty smiled. Garraty smiled with his whole face, with his cheeks up to his eyes “Thank you, Stebbins.”

“Though I don't understand why you need me here, you already have more than a quarter of the classroom in here.”

“Because...”

“Stop getting in the way of my painting!” Stebbins raised his head to Barkovitch’s strident screaming, coming from the middle of the room.

“Oh? Am I getting in the way? Barkovitch?” Olson replied, holding a big brush dripping with red colour, way too close to Barkovitch’s painting of a white butterfly with a broken wing.

“Hank. Stop” Baker said, from the other corner of the room, staring off the window, his pencil held a few centimeters up from the paper.

“But-”

“Stop.”

“Fine.”

Garraty turned to look back at him after the scene was over.

“We need a little calm to level out” Garraty said.

“And without club president you need as many as you can get to justify keeping the club open” Stebbins said, Garraty shrugged. 

After that Stebbins centered on his blank page, on the white drilling blank page, he held the pencil up to it, staring at the classroom, somehow nothing felt worth the effort, the clock ticking down on the background, and the rest of the kids’s brushes and pencils skimming against the paper.

It had become evening at some point, he was getting a headache. 

He bit onto the pencils gum.

“Don't eat that” Garraty said, Stebbins turned to look at him, he felt more dead than the usual amount “Are you okay?”

“Your club is draining, Ray.”

* * *

Stebbins doodled something on his striped notebook, looking out the window, his left hand supporting his face. The teacher's voice feeling like white noise.

“You will be visiting The Portland Museum of Art, you will have to pick an artist presented there and explain why, with everything that includes, such as….”

Stebbins blocked everything else out, and didn't pay any mind to it until the last day.

He was sitting on the bus, looking off the window, headphones resting on his shoulders, he had Garraty on the phone.

“You should have told me, I would have taken you with the rest” He and Garraty didn’t share all classes, but they still got the same projects.

“I forgot.”

“You never forget anything” Stebbins smirked at that, it was true.

“I didn't care.”

“Yeah, that sounds more like you.”

Garraty and he spoke for a little more. 

“Oh” Stebbins heard Garraty take the phone away from his mouth “Sorry, I think something is burning in the kitchen.”

“Who are you teaching how to cook this week?”

“Olson.”

“Again?” 

“Again. How did you know that?”

“You never burn anything.”

Garraty laughed, it was a clear light sound “See you tomorrow, Stebbins” He could feel the smile on Garraty’s face through the phone.

“See you” He hanged up the phone. There were two women with bags talking way too loudly on the front seats, he put his headphones back on. He had his eyes closed the rest of the ride. 

He entered the gates of the museum, ignoring the people just standing around taking photographies of themselves standing before the brick walls.

* * *

“Would you like a guided visit, Sir?” Stebbins was approached by a woman waving a bunch of fliers in his face. 

He thought back of his homework “No.”

The woman blinked twice “Alright, Sir.”

Stebbins walked further into the museum, he looked around stopping each time, not bothering to read the plaques underneath it. The deeper you went in the emptier the place was, it was depressing to see, the sun coming through the picture windows in the ceiling made his eyes hurt. 

He lost himself between hallways, coming across a white and black pattern, so grand on the overtaking white walls of the museum.

The matching golden plate read. 

**"Corpse and Mirror Jasper John's 1976"**

"McVries?" Stebbins heard his voice echo on the empty room. McVries had been standing there eyes lost, as if he were staring directly at the sun. 

McVries touched his face, he slowly turned to him "Stebbins?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing here?"

"Homework" Stebbins stared at the painting, or whatever it was "What are you doing here?"

"I'm doing, what a museum is supposedly for, appreciating art."

"How do you appreciate art?"

McVries looked at him with a grimace in his face "Do you want a spoken tour?"

Stebbins thought about it "If you can give it."

* * *

They walked down the halls, museums felt haunted sometimes, Stebbins could hear the sound of the place screeching on top of them.

They passed a painting of a wave, and wood, Stebbins stopped in front of it, it was the second most attention-calling thing he had seen so far. 

“That's by Winslow Homer, The _Weatherbeaten_ _”_ McVries said.

“I see.” 

“Shouldn't you be writing this?” Stebbins tilted his head “It’s the same homework Ray had, isn't it?”

“Yes, and no. I don't forget” He kept staring at it.

“Whatever you say.”

They kept looking and looking, until Stebbins began feeling that the salt and water of the painting could get to him.

They walked, outside trough one of the many doors made of windows the place had, Stebbins didn't understand how anybody was meant to get out of there, in case of a fire, maybe they weren't, if the paintings went down so did you.

“And here's The Portland Outdoor Sculpture Garden” Said McVries, as a bunch of black-turning-green statues came into view.

Stebbins looked at each one carefully, they were starting to collect dusk, leaves falling on top of them.

He approached a statue of a horse of bones, it looked made of branches put together by a forest ghost.

“And to think that this and Michelangelo's David and the Antinous Mondragone and everything else in the world are all equals” Said McVries “Did you know that, when they first unpacked it the Antiguos Mondragone came with lipstick on its cheek, some lady on the old days, did her makeup especially that day to kiss it, and who could blame her, right?”

Stebbins thought about it, about kissing a statue, leaving your mark on something forever, he was sure they were still visible, wherever the statue behind its fortified glass was in, the sun reflecting on the red pigment, until even the sun itself burned out. 

“Is it really all equal?”

“All art is equal, never doubt it, or at least that's what everybody says, take it with a grain of salt”

Stebbins gave one last look at the horse statue, then rolled his eyes.

“I already have what I need for the homework. I'm leaving, I’m getting a migraine.”

“Too much art appreciation for you, Stebbins Deary?”

Stebbins sighed, his headache was getting worse, the sunlight was so intense "If you appreciate art so much why aren't you assisting to the club, your art club, specifically?" Stebbins said. 

"How do you know that?"

"It must be really bad if The President of The Club is not on the know of who is assisting his club" Stebbins turned back to him "Why is that?"

"I'm not feeling very creative right now, I'm not really channeling my inner muse at the moment" Stebbins titled his head, McVries sunk his hands into his hoodie, his scar was itching, just like when he was getting the stitches, he wondered if he would feel like this forever, like something was scratching inside of his skin.

"I can't paint right now."

"You paint?"

"You didn't know? The paintings on the back of the room Garraty drags you to every Monday after school are made by me."

"They are?"

"Yeah. What? Did you think that they were out of Collie Parker's sensible hands?"

"No I-" Stebbins looked to the side, he felt somehow embarrassed now "I thought they were from a gallery or something of the sort."

McVries stopped on his tracks for a second too long, he could feel his heart beating off his chest.

He didn't know how to react to this, he had heard thousands of compliments before, from his parents, Katrina, Katrina's friends, his friends, Ray, the teachers, and The Director but none of them felt like this. It was different to receive such a genuine compliment, Stebbins didn't even mean for it to be a compliment, he was sure, hearing anything out of Stebbins's mouth was a different experience by itself each time. 

He pushed his hands inside his pockets, trying to regain composure. 

"I don't think that's how that works" He said with a smile but Stebbins didn't change his blank poker face at all, he never did, McVries didn't know why he has expected him to this time. 

"How do you do that?"

"How do I do what? Paint? Well Stebbins, as you know you have two hands left and right, right is the one you write with, unless you are a witch."

"Shut up. I mean how do you draw things like that?"

McVries thought back of all the club's classes, practice, his whole life really, he didn't have an answer on why or how or what when it came to himself, he never did, he did stuff that felt right to do and when it stopped feeling right he didn't know what to do anymore.

"I don't know" His hand shot up, scratching the scar, he knew he shouldn't do that, it was going to whiter and worsen if he did, he scratched it harder "I told you I can't anymore."

"How can you not be able to anymore? How can you lose yourself like that?"

"I don't know if I knew I wouldn't be here" McVries said with a smile, he didn't know why his first reaction was to smile whenever he was in pain.

Stebbins looked to the ground, he looked troubled now, gripping on his sleeve.

"Can you show them to me?"

McVries choked on air a little, that had felt as a blow for some reason, he didn't know why but it burned and stung a little, he didn't know most of anything nowadays. He stopped scratching the scar.

“Are you willing to introduce yourself to my parents?” 

* * *

They had gotten to McVries’s car, Stebbins memorized the path to McVries’s house, the evening was completely set in. 

“Forewarnings Announcement!: My parents are, how to put it? Touchy-feely people, so be ready” McVries said. 

Stebbins sighed audibly, rolling his eyes to the back of his skull “I will try.”

“Hope you survive being hugged by a housewife, a man who reeks of cigarettes, and the cutest little girl you will ever meet.”

Stebbing turned to him “You have a sister?”

“Yeah, her name is Katrina she's really little and she's adorable, so you scare her and I beat you up.”

“I get it” Stebbins said, letting his head fall on to the window, feeling the bumps on his temples “I wouldn't mess with anybody's sister. I'm not a bully.”

“You better” McVries stopped the car in front of a medium-sized house. 

It had a small garden, a clean driveway, the painting didn't look too old, and it wasn't graffitied on the sides, it looked like the sort of house who in a children's book would have a pie resting by its windows. Stebbins stared openly at it.

“We have arrived to your location” McVries said “C'mon blondie move it.”

Stebbins opened his door, they walked up to McVries’s opening, his house’s path to the entrance was tilted upwards, Stebbins’s noticed.

McVries’s got his keys out but he rang the doorbell regardless, he opened the door and took a step to the left, bowing slightly.

“Ladies first.”

“I would actually walk first, but if I do, who do I use as a human shield when your parents bombard me.”

“Always three steps ahead, uh my blondie?” McVries gave him a smile, the sort of smile actors gave each other in movies, Stebbins stepped in, he felt dazed again for some reason.

“Petie? Is that you?” Stebbins’s heard a high pitched voice followed by the sound of running, he figured that must be Katrina, he straightened his back readying himself for whatever was to come next.

“Yeah, Beautiful” Stebbins took notice of the nickname.

McVries stepped in, Stebbins walked slowly behind him, feeling smaller behind his back. 

“Mom. Dad. A school friend” McVries said.

“Oh. Hi there!” A woman wearing a pair of red washing gloves greeted him with a pearly white smile. Stebbins figured she was McVries’s Mom.

“Greetings” Stebbins shyly offered her his hand, he didn't know if that was the right thing to do, he looked at the ground as he introduced himself, he couldn't stand looking at people's eyes most times “My name is Stebbins, Madame.”

“Nice to meet you Stebbins!” The woman rapidly took off one glove and shook his hand, her skin felt bleached. 

“Nice to meet another friend of our son, not like Ray isn't a fine boy but…” A man wearing a tie said, McVries’s Dad, Stebbins assumed. 

“Yeah Dad. We get it” McVries interrupted him.

“Don't hide Katrina” McVries’s Mom said, as Katrina clutched to her legs, looking up at Stebbins, with wide curious eyes “You have to say hi too.”

“Introduce yourself Katrina. Don't be rude” McVries’s Dad said.

Katrina gasped and ran to Stebbins “My name is Katrina! Nice to meet you!” She held up her hand high at him, Stebbins grabbed it, Katrina shook it with all the might a primary school child probably had. 

“No need to be so intense, Katrina” McVries’s Mom said.

“Yeah. Poor guy you are gonna leave him without hand” McVries said. 

“Sorry...” Katrina left go of his hand slowly.

“It’s okay” Stebbins had the distinct feeling that that was the wrong thing to say- 

“If we are all done with introductions. I will be taking him to the back room, not that backroom Mom, the paintings room.”

She smiled, clapping her hands, producing a wet sound, Stebbin wondered why that made her so happy “I hope you enjoy the art, boys!”

“We will, Mom” McVries said, then he began walking to the left hallways, Stebbins followed him, looking at everything in McVries's house with the same intensity he had looked at the museum's halls.

They passed some other locker doors, Stebbins wondered what that many rooms were for. 

“How many backrooms do you have?” Stebbins said.

“You must be level Ray of Friendship to unlock that secret” McVries said. They arrived to a door with old paintings stains all over “Now. Here goes your personal gallery experience.”

McVries opened up the door, revealing his dozens of paintings. They all uncovered, there was a blank sheet on the ground collecting dusk, McVries had told himself he didn't want them anymore, didn't need them anymore, would cover them up with blank sheet someday, and never think about them again, but never today.

An enormous oil landscape stood in the middle, it was the painting of a night sky.

“Wow” Stebbins said his eyes trying to take everything they possibly could one look, he walked closer to the painting, holding up his hands as if he wanted to touch it.

“You don't have to act impressed” McVries said “Though then again like you would bother yourself acting for anybody.”

“If you already know I wouldn't bother, why do you ask?”

“Because, why would you be impressed? They are just paintings, there's nothing special about them.”

“They are beautiful” Stebbins said without hesitation, he wasn’t soft about it, it wasn't supposed to be a compliment it was just a statement of a fact, that made it even more bittersweet to McVries somehow. 

He smiled, cynical, one-sided, he wasn't happy, he knew he wasn't allowed to feel happy “Can you see something in them?”

“There's something in everything.”

“Is there something in you?” McVries asked, he felt like he could burst out crying right now, he felt submerged in the sea.

Stebbins turned to him for the first time since they had stepped into the room, his eyes slightly wide, looking at him, though him, trying to find malice in his words, but there was none, McVries just wanted to know, he just needed to know.

“What do you think there's in me, McVries?” Stebbins tilted his head “Do you think there's something in you, McVries?”

“Ha” He let air through his teeth, a pitiful attempt at a laugh ”Do you think there's something in me, Stebbins?” 

Stebbins looked back at the painting, he walked down the room, staring carefully at each of the paintings, trying to suck all meaning life and colour of them, he stopped in front of the painting of a white roses bouquet with hiel dripping off it. 

“How do you make this?” Stebbins said.

“Anybody can.”

“That's not true.”

“It is. You could do it too, if you wanted to.”

“I doubt it.” 

Stebbins arrived to the back of the room, the biggest painting stood on the middle, half-finished, McVries has started it before _That_ and then had never found on himself to finish it, after That he hadn't found much of anything of himself.

“Why is this one like this?”

“Never finished it.”

“It looks like an orphan” Stebbins turned back, they were standing in opposite directions now, McVries hadn’t moved an inch since Stebbins had entered, he hadn't realized that “If everybody can do it, why don't you finish it?”

McVries grimaced “Why don't you draw me something?”

“I can't”

“If you can't then I can't neither.”

Stebbins turned back at the unfinished painting resting in the darkness and dusk, being illuminated in blues, and so empty it was haunting. 

“If I do, will you finish it?”

McVries felt moved somehow, he walked to the table, grabbed an old sketchbook more than half the pages, already ripped out, and a pencil with the gum completely chewed out, he offered them to Stebbins. 

“You first.”

Stebbins looked down at it, carefully, McVries could almost phantom the danger a person like Stebbins saw in everything.

Stebbins received it.

“You first” Stebbins told him.

“Alright” Stebbins’s light up a little, McVries convinced himself he saw nothing in it “And take a seat, because this is going to take a long time.”

Stebbins lowered himself on the floor, he looked up to McVries, he could feel the intensity of his stare. 

McVries grabbed the godette from the table, it was made of nogal wood, his parents had been so proud, so happy with themselves when they gave it to him, it still had old, dried off pools of pigment on it, he grabbed the paints and replied it, shining anew. 

“Look up, Vang Gogh they call me” It was supposed to be a joke but it seemed too bleak to his own ears, Stebbins stared at him as he finished his painting, he could hear the rough scratching of the pencil against the paper, they didn't speak much during it, there was no need.

He felt Stebbins’s eyes on him the entire time. 

* * *

They heard two knocks on the door, then Katrina entered “Petie, Mom and Dad wanna know if your friend is going to have dinner with us?”

McVries's eyes shot open, he had been completely spaced up while doing this “Are you, blondie?”

Stebbins clutched the sketchbook “No. Thank you.”

“Are you sure? My parents really love having extra kids to feed.”

“Yes, I'm sure.”

“Knock yourself out then” He left the godette and brush back down the table, there were blue specks all over his hands now “C'mon Katrina, let's say goodbye to this hermit with Mom and Dad” Katrina nodded, they walked out. 

Stebbins got himself to the door, through murmurs and insistencies from McVries's parents, McVries looked to the side, he seemed embarrassed but even more used to it, Stebbins held himself tighter onto the sketchbook.

“Are you sure you don't want to stay?” McVries’s Mom said “We have more than enough food prepared.”

“I don't wish to bother Madame” Stebbins avoided her eyes.

“What a polite boy” McVries Dad said “Why aren't you more like this, Peter?”

“Dad!?”

Stebbins put his hand on his mouth, he wasn't going to laugh, he refused to laugh right now.

“Please Sir, I have to arrive to help My Mother” Stebbins wasn't quiet lying, he would probably have to help his mom out with something back home, he just didn't know what yet. 

“What a shame” McVries's Mom said “But if you have to go help your mom, what can we do?”

Stebbins nodded. 

“Hope to see you again boy” McVries's Dad said.

“Yes, Sir.”

“You say goodbye too, Katrina” McVries’s Mom said. Katrina nodded, she ran up and hugged Stebbins’s legs, he flinched, immediately tensing.

“Goodbye Petie’s friend.”

He gulped down, lightly patted her head, with his open palm “Goodbye to you too...”

“Has everybody said goodbye?” McVries asked around “And Katrina let go of the poor man's legs, you are giving him a heart attack.”

“Sorry...” Katrina stepped off.

“It's okay.”

“Okay blondie, let me take you to your house” McVries opened the door, Stebbins waved one last goodbye to the rest of The McVries family before answering him.

“You have to regardless.”

“Let me be romantic.”

“About what? I would take the bus, but they apparently don't exist here.”

“At least I don't live in the middle of nowhere like Ray does.”

“Point taken" He looked at the car "But you still have to take me, you should be a more polite young man, Petie."

"That's the worst thing I had ever heard coming out of your lips."

"Oh really? Petie?"

"Shut up, and get up" McVries said, they walked up to the opened door, and got in. 

He put one hand on the wheel "So where do you live again?" 

Stebbins gave him instructions to his address, staring off the window the whole time, it was almost night when they got back.

“I told you not to scare my sister, but apparently, she scared you way more than you could ever scare her.”

“Shut up.” Stebbins looked out the window “Stop here” Stebbins said as an old broken down apartment conjunct came into view, the walls were cracked down the painting becoming gray and falling off, McVries did his best to not stare at it, he hadn't expected Stebbin to live in a place like this, he wasn't wealthy none of his friends were but he was grateful for his well-kept house for sure

“Do you want me to get down, and introduce myself to your mother as well?” McVries tried to joke.

“No” Stebbins said, opened up the door, and walked out without saying goodbye.

“Well, okay” McVries spoke to the shotgun sit where Stebbins had been, he started the car again and went back. 

* * *

He already had his keys out when he arrived, but Katrina opened up the door first, she was always waiting for him, she hugged him like he had been gone to war, he petted her head, and she backed up a little, she opened her mouth in a big **O** shape.

"What is it, Beautiful?"

"Petie and your notebook?" 

McVries thought back, Stebbins had been holding onto it the whole ride.

"Ugh."

* * *

McVries walked up to his locker by himself Garraty hadn’t arrived yet, he was always late. 

He opened it, a ball of paper fell out of it, McVries shook his head, he had almost forgotten that the entire world was going to be like middle school, he sighed and picked it up, maybe it was dumb but he honestly didn't care anymore, might as well read it, might as well scratch his scar until the ghost of the stitches he could still feel on his skin fell off.

He undid the ball, inside was an amateurish drawing done with pencil, a little dirty and stained all over, it was a drawing of him, childish as childish got but he could recognize himself on it. 

“Uh?” He said it out loud, he didn't know what to do with it, or who could have sent it, he could see the marks of some scriptwriting transparenting from the back to the white spots of the paper, he turned it around.

  
  


**Come to the club**

**You are the president**

And nothing else.

McVries flatten out the paper, the marks felt crispy to the touch, he grabbed one his books from the inside of the locker, not a textbook just another old book he enjoyed reading, he opened it on the last page he had left, and carefully placed the paper there as a bookmarker, he knew the pencil would probably stain the pages, but that didn't seem to matter right now.

He went to class, did his notes, as usual, didn't listen to a word, as usual, he felt somewhat decided now, he had to get his sketchbook back someday, after all.

* * *

He walked slowly to the club room by himself, Garraty had stopped coming to his classroom to try to drag him off weeks ago, he felt ashamed of himself, had left his best friend with more responsibilities, taking care of something that had been his idea, hadn't even told him why, hadn't told anybody why. 

He slid open the door, he could see the lights coming out of the window, could already hear the laughter and the banter.

“Hey guys” He stepped in. 

“Pete!” Garraty stood up immediately, he ran to him, like he wanted to hug him but retracted at the last second, McVries didn’t approach him either, they high fived instead. 

“I told you he would” Stebbins said from the back of the room, looking down at the sketchbook, a pencil held on his hand. 

“What did you do Stebbins?” Garraty said, turning his head to the back, the rest of the guys did the same.

“Secret” Stebbins said without raising his eyes from the paper. 

“Are you ever going to tell me what he told you, Pete?”

McVries looked at Stebbins, he thought back of the paper, he gritted his teeth into a smile, it wasn't a real one, but he owned at least this much to Garraty and to Stebbins, and to everybody else, he had to at the very least try. 

“Secret” McVries said.

“Disappointing” Pearson said, his hands still gripping the french pasta owl statue he was making. 

“Agreed” Baker said, vice as soft as always.

“Are we your personal telenovela?” McVries said to them.

Parker opened up his mouth, a big grin in his face.

“Don't” Said Garraty “I know what you are going to say, don't” Stebbins tilted his head at that “Don't worry about it Stebbins, and you don't say anything either Pete.”

“I didn't even open my mouth.”

“But you were thinking about it.”

“I-”

“You were.”

“Sit down somewhere already! and Shut up!” Barkovitch said. 

“Oh, how I had missed the sound of your soprano voice on those clear after school afternoons” Said McVries, as he and Garraty walked to the back of the room.

“What does that even mean!?”

“That you sound like a girl, you idiot” Answered Pearson.

“I! Don't! Sound! Like! A! Girl!”

“His voice is breaking my eardrums” Stebbins left go of his pencil, massaging his temples. 

* * *

The clubroom was almost empty, only McVries, Garraty, and Stebbins had stayed back.

They heard the clock go off, the sun was getting ready to set.

Garraty closed his sketchbook, getting inside his backpack “Have to go now, I'm gonna lose the bus.”

“And people think it’s hyperbole when I say you are always late for everything” McVries said.

“I'm not late for _everything_ ” He stuffed the rucksack inside “Am I?”

“You were ------- to class today?”

Garraty looked down, finishing the sentence “...Late”

McVries held his eyebrow up in an I told you so manner “Don't worry, I can give you a ride.”

Garraty light up “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Why do you always get surprised? I do it almost daily.”

“You haven't done it in a few weeks... and I thought you may want to stay behind, to finish some of your other stuff.”

McVries felt his chest tightening, he had lost forgotten “I can finish later in my house, I take you now.”

“Okay” Garraty said, getting his backpack up.

“You are leaving already?” Stebbins finally looked up from the sketchbook, he sounded oddly catechized, as if he had just realized he was going to be left alone in the room.

“Is getting kinda late, isn't it?” Said Garraty “Are you planning on staying much longer?”

“It has to be finished right?” Stebbins said, he had his usual cold voice, but he seemed nervous.

“Not today, you know. You already made me a big favour by actually coming and staying, Stebbins.”

“I can give you a ride too” McVries interrupted putting a hand on the back of his neck “And you can finish in my house, it is my sketchbook after all.”

“Wait. Your sketchbook?” Garraty said, giving the both of them a look.

“Long story” Said Mcvries “Do you want to? Stebbins.”

Stebbins chewed on the pencil, before awkwardly taking it out and answering “Yes.”

“Okay. Get your stuff” Said McVries.

Stebbins nodded grabbing his backpack, he carefully placed the pencil and the sketchbook inside, he put it on and stood up “Let's get going.”

* * *

They approached McVries's car, Stebbins and Garraty reached out for the shotgun door at the same time. 

“I didn't know Pete had given you a ride before” Said Garraty.

“Jealous?” Said Stebbins.

Garraty sucked a sharp intake of breath “I’m not!” He looked down at the car’s handle “I didn't know you two got along so well.”

“Are you two fighting over me now? I didn't know I was this popular” Said McVries.

“We are not! Who would fight over you?” Said Garraty.

“Then what's the dramatic scene about?” 

“About who is getting shotgun” Garraty said.

“My car I choose” Said McVries “Ray gets shotgun, he has seniority priority.”

Stebbins left go of the handle.

“Thanks” Said Garraty opening the door, they all took a seat inside, Stebbins sat uncomfortably near the window, sinking into the corner, he stared at the front mirror.

“I'm going to leave you in your house first, Ray” McVries said.

“Yeah” Garraty nodded. 

Stebbins looked to the side. He wondered how many time Garraty and McVries had done this, McVries drove the path like it was going to his own house, they smiled at each other with domesticity, Stebbins thought they really belonged together. He kept his eyes fixated on the window. 

“Your palace, My Lord” McVries said, as they stopped in front of a regular suburban home, plants growing all over it, but it didn’t look abandoned in the least. 

“Thanks, Pete” Garraty opened his side of the door “See you, Stebbins.”

Stebbins nodded, and Garraty got out, he waved goodbye to them standing in front of his door, McVries smiled at him and started the car again. 

* * *

“And you already knew your way from here” McVries said as they arrived to his driveaway “Hope you can survive my parents two times.”

“They are not so bad” Stebbins grabbed the sides of his sweaters, his fingertips grazing the holes and its insides, he felt cold even to himself “I have seen worst.”

“Is your mother the stepmother from Cinderella? That's why you don't want me to see her?” 

“You have an awful amount of interest in my life, McVries. Do you really like me that much?”

“Tragic Backstory uh? Maybe I do. If I say I do, would you tell me?”

“You are disgusting McVries” Stebbins said, he reached out for the backpack he had thrown into the floor. 

He shrugged “Had to try.”

Stebbins shook his head, opened his side of the door and walked to the front door, McVries opened it.

“You are back, Petie?”

“Yeah, Mom.”

“Petie!” They heard Katrina's voice coming from the living room, she ran towards them “Hi Petie's friend.”

“Hi” Stebbins said, almost whispering. 

“Good evening, Stebbins” Said McVries's Mom.

“Good evening, Madame.”

“God. This dialogue is awkward” McVries shook his head “I’m taking him to the back room again, before you get too attached to him and try to replace me” McVries grabbed Stebbins’s hand, and took him back down the halls.

* * *

Stebbins took the sketchbook off his backpack, sitting cross-legged in the same spot as last time, McVries had his godette in hand, but he wasn't using it, he had been so tempted to grab a little yellow before, he didn't know what for.

“Why do you keep staring at me?”

McVries blinked twice before he processed the question “I'm sorry” He circled the brush on top of the of the wood “You- You don’t look like a real person sometimes.”

“What do I look like?”

“Like 3 o'clock spring afternoons.”

Stebbins looked down. McVries could see the blues of the room’s walls reflected in his face, he could have sworn Stebbins looked flushed.

Stebbins stared at the painting behind him, his fingers pattering the pencil softly. 

“Do you want to try?” 

“I can't paint.”

“I thought we had already established everybody could” McVries left the pencil rest on top of the godette and extended him a hand, the lighting on Stebbins’s face shifted “Let me help you.”

Stebbins gripped the pencil a little harder, his white knuckles turning pink underneath the strength, then he left it to fall, rolling through the floor until it touched against a corner in the room, he took McVries's hand and stood up.

“Wait” McVries said, he took the canvas off the easel and grabbed a new blank one.

“Isn't the paint going to fall off?” Stebbins said.

“I will paint another, I will paint it again, in reality, I don’t think about preserving too much.”

“But isn't all of this so it can be preserved forever, like in the museums?”

“Between making and preserving, I prefer making” McVries said offering him the brush and godette “Hold it, there's more on the table, if you need it.”

“What do I do?”

“I could give you all the theory on sketching, and colors, and whatever else I know, but I'm not a painting teacher, and that would bore even my grandmother, just do what you want right now, that's what I do.”

“Something like that can’t come off of simply doing what you want.”

“I do what, I want but I been doing it for a long while. Do you really not want to try? If so, you don't have to but I can tell you do.”

“Don't speak like you know me” Stebbins said, but his voice sounded meek to his ears. He passed the brush through the godette, he softly caressed the canvas with it. 

They stood in silence together for ages. 

“What are you making?”

“A forest.” 

“It’s beautiful.”

“You can't say that. you don't know it yet.”

“Then let me speak on future mode. It will be beautiful, and everything that will be already is”

“What cheap poem did you steal that line from?”

“Actually, it’s stolen from a quantum physics book.”

Stebbins smiled a little, a soft sound coming out of him, he was laughing 

“Wow...” 

“What is it?”

“I didn't know you could laugh.”

“I'm not that heartless” He kept moving the brush.

“No, no you are not.”

McVries stood behind him as he painted, the outside noises becoming stronger.

Stebbins knew there was no way it could all be okay just doing what you wanted, that the mannerism was awkward and structureless, but he felt so comfortable doing it, that room and that time-space was so comfortable to exist in.

“It's getting late” Said McVries “Will your mom be mad if I bring you home past dawn?”

“Oh" Stebbins looked out the window to catch the setting sun "I hadn't realized.”

“I shouldn't have said anything” McVries smiled, showing his pearly white teeth, but he seemed so disappointed as well.

“We have to go” Stebbins said, placing the brush on top of the godette “But I might have to come by tomorrow again, I still have your sketchbook after all.”

“So you weren't planning on giving it back at all.”

“Blame Ray for it, he's the one forcing me to assist to your club.”

“I should thank him instead.”

“Don't you ever feel dirty, lying so much?”

“Who says I'm lying?”

“You must be.”

“Do I really have such a bad reputation?”

“You don't. I do”

“Really? Is that also a part of your tragic backstory?”

“Wouldn't you like to know?”

“I would but... I can wait” He took one last look at the painting “You should finish this one” McVries said “Later on the year we get to hang our paintings for the new entry students to see, you should hang this one.”

Stebbins looked at his painting, with his lips pursed, he looked like he was making a really hard decision, then he relaxed, he looked at McVries in the eye a small soft smile on his lips. 

“Yes I think I will.”

* * *

McVries stopped his car in front of Stebbins’s house, their paintings already loaded up in the back, they had been finished for months now.

He honked, and a few minutes later a very tired looking Stebbins came outside. 

Stebbins groaned as he sat on the shotgun seat, leaving his backpack to fall on the floor. 

“It's open” McVries looked at the backpack, it's contents ready to spill out.

“I know” Stebbins slammed the door shut, and turned to look at him, his lips were completely dry, his eye bags were getting purple.

“You look even worse than usual.”

“I know” Stebbins closed his eyes and stretched, his backbone popping as he did.

“Did you just wake up?” McVries said. 

“The prospect on getting up early on Sunday, just to go put a show to a bunch of 14 years old who, by mere statistic, won't stay in our school, it's not something that calls to me, Pete.”

“Don't act like that, I know you want to see the exhibition too” McVries turned to him, Stebbins avoided his gaze.

“Why would I want that? I already saw them all, as they were being made.”

“Whatever you say blondie” McVries started up the car, and they left to the school.

* * *

McVries parked down, the place was almost completely empty, but in a pair of hours it would be full of kids and their parents. They got off the car and opened up the backseat. 

“Help me carry them” McVries said.

“You got them here on your own just fine, I don't see why you need my help for it now.”

“Carry your painting yourself, Princess” McVries said, carefully taking his painting and pulling it off the car. 

“Why isn’t Ray here? He could carry it.”

“I love how your first thought is to make Ray carry it for you.”

Stebbins rolled the sleeves of his sweater up, and grabbed the painting awkwardly by the sides, losing balance a little under the weight.

“Why is this so heavy?” 

“Be careful” Stebbins gave him an exasperated look “Okay, hold on, I help you.”

* * *

McVries and Stebbins sat the paintings on the desks, next to the other’s works. 

The door slipped open in one harsh motion “I’m sorry I’m late!” Garraty arrived, carrying his painting uncomfortably with one hand.

“And there he is” Stebbins said, McVries laughed.

“Finally! Garraty!” Parker said. 

“I still can't believe Barkovitch is more in time than The Vice President of The Club” Pearson said.

“Told ya!” Barkovitch said. 

“I'm sorry!” Garraty said “Let's just hang this all on already. We are gonna be late.”

“Late, like who?” Said McVries.

“I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, like always” McVries said, then turned to the paintings “Let’s carry this all to the exhibition place, we are not that lacking in time be careful with them, we can't afford any incidents happening right now. And that goes to you too Ray.”

“What did I do?”

“The painting” Baker said.

“Oh” He quickly took it with both hands, carrying it with more care now “Sorry.”

McVries gave him a smile. He was always so full of fondness when it came down to Garraty. 

“Okay everybody, let's get this over with.”

* * *

“I don't know how you can physically carry that many stuff at once” Said Abraham as Parker passed him by, with a desk, the hooks to hang the paintings with, and a bunch of pamphlets. 

“Ah! This ain't even heavy, y’all just weak” Parker answered shimming with pride. 

“Then carry this desk for me Parker” Said Olson struggling to move the desk even an inch.

“Carry it yourself Olson!”

“Why are you dragging it, instead of folding it and carrying it like the rest?” Said Baker.

“Wait... It folds up?”

“Olson, why?” Said Pearson.

“Collie. Go help him” Said Baker.

“You can even call it charity work, Parker” Said McVries.

“You help him. Your club.”

“Pete. Help us hang this” Garraty said, holding up the paintings together with Stebbins.

“Sorry. The missus called.”

* * *

They finished hanging everything up, the halls were starting to fill up, kids coming left and right. 

A little boy walked past them with his mom ruffling his hair, he stayed back staring at Pearsons's sculptures. Garraty began speaking to him, passing pamphlets to his mom.

“You don't seem to hate it so much” McVries said, Stebbins was staring at the scenery in front of him, he looked tenured

“I hate having to work for the school.”

“Hey it's our club and” Imitating the voice of The Director “Our Project, and completely not, a free publicity gimmick by the school.”

“You didn't let me finish Pete. I hate having to work for the school but I love the paintings” He turned back to them, staring at McVries’s landscape “They are beautiful.”

McVries looked at him, and looked, and looked until the world seemed to stop spinning around them.

“Yes. Really beautiful.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really nervous about this one and I'm not sure I like it a lot, also I don't know anything about paintings so I'm sorry, if anything here is too untrue I just didn't know how I was supposed to research about this kinda stuff specifically but I still hope you enjoy
> 
> My Tumblr is go-go-garraty


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